In the history of blockbuster cinema, we have seldom seen films more divisive than the Star Wars prequels. Beloved by some and disliked by others, the run of films between Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith remain a debatable topic in general. With that in mind, we sat down with Star Wars: The Last Jedi actress Kelly Marie Tran during the press junket for the latest Star Wars movie and asked for her thoughts on the prequels. As it turns out, she thinks they deserve more credit for taking risks. The actress opened up and said:
I think something about the newer trilogy that people don't give it credit for is that it really did take risks in different ways. I know everyone hates Jar Jar, but that's a risk. You know? I think that one good thing about Star Wars from its inception until now is that these films, from the beginning, have taken risks. Even if people don't end up liking those risks... I do think that just continuing that sort of groundbreaking ability to take risks and push limits in film is something that they will continue and have continued with this new film and hopefully you will see that.
Every Star Wars film has built upon the previous entries in the saga in some form or another. That's arguably one of the main reasons why George Lucas has even been referred to as more of an inventor and an innovator than a full-blown filmmaker. The prequel trilogy took risks in the creation of its slower and somewhat more convoluted stories, and that's something worth celebrating -- even if you're not a fan of the films themselves.
After all, as much as a segment of the fanbase hates Jar Jar Binks, it's hard to deny that he's still a technically impressive character. Love him or hate him, it arguably took guts to upend the traditions of Star Wars characters.
With Star Wars: The Last Jedi right around the corner, Kelly Marie Tran also seems to think that's a tradition that's alive and well in the new movies. Although there are currently no hints to suggest a new Jar Jar-esque character entering the equation (with the possible exception of the puffin-inspired porgs), it genuinely looks like director Rian Johnson is endeavoring to break the mold of a traditional Star Wars narrative and try something that we have never seen in this franchise before. That's something Star Wars fans have come to appreciate over the years -- even during the series' low points.
We will see exactly how many risks Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi takes when the film premieres in theaters this weekend on December 15. Pick up your tickets for the highly-anticipated Star Wars sequel now, and let us know what you think of the prequel trilogy in the comments!
